Yeah I read that post you made about the rifles. It was a good read. As an example, I basically play with the Grad as my weapon go-to weapon, and I carry the Fenrir (iconic saratoga I believe) for those closer-than-comfort type of encounters and the sniper isn't ideal. And then I swap between a Sidewinder or SOR when for my third weapon as either a powerful punch or just an unloading of smart projectiles.
The LMG and HMGs are indeed great fun. I always compare them to how you would behave as if a shocktrooper with a minigun. Preferrably armed, but the bulletspread is mainly for intimidation, which in the game shows itself in that you can actually hit them quite reliably, and in case of the HMG the splash .. ooh boy its like shooting mines
HMG's sure made my day when I went to take Arasaka tower on (Don't Fear) The Reaper during my last playthrough. I was playing on normal and despite Body 16 and using every other trick too, smart assault rifles and grenades in certain situations, quickhacking, tech sniper rifle, it came pretty damn close few times to die there. I had Second Heart but it didn't came to that. What comes to experience as player I had completed game two times before, I had some idea about what I was doing, but like I wrote, came pretty damn close few times. Then I saw a video in LowSodiumCyberpunk where someone was moving down enemies in (Don't Fear) the Reaper with just a pistol. Haha!
So I kinda like normal difficulty being where it is now, it enables lot's of things for different kind of players and builds.
With regards to that netrunner thing, I do feel the highlight of the enemy netrunner becomes available too quickly, and I never opt for it because it feels a bit like cheating. I would also like it if they used short circuit sometimes too, or contagion, or something posion related so that you also had to take into account that enemy netrunners can atttack with QHs that have different effects, I've only ever seen them use overheat but nothing else. I will say though that the enemy ping action (revealing position) is a good way to balance/counter our usage of the QH arsenal.
Also, something that I've had to think about once some time ago, I would also like it if certain higher level enemies, or netrunners specifically to have ICE defenses that require you to chain a code as long as 7/8 characters together. because to me I found it always funny how nobody had actually good ICE defences, it was usually just a lot of RAM requirement.
The part in bold made me think, what if you on occasion are prompted an ICE code that reflects your defence: crack the code would dissolve the enemy netrunner attack. (just thinking out loud here)
Enemy netrunner abilities were discussed in couple of topics since February I think but that's definitely way to go on harder difficulties and possible optional challenges. I have been writing about this in various topics about 5 times or so now but the general idea is called "Cybered Up" and that would mean enemy Self-Ice, enemy clothing mods (immunity to shock can change things quite a bit) Contagion, like you wrote would work very well in enemy NPC arsenal, without going to state that could mean game over, like Reboot Optics with several enemies closing in.
Enemy Second Heart would force stealth player to scan enemies and think about how to dispose body quickly, could also be really annoying unless these things were optional challenges, but who knows.
I agree, this game is elevated by the narrative and backdrop of the world, so when the experience feels like a 'fluid'-film, to use your words paraphrased.
(which means the above mention I made regarding the bold part is somewhat counterproductive)
It is as I said before, I dont think the balance is off per se, and in addition I already believe the enemies are quite smart already (i've made posts in defense of this game versus the GTA enemies) All you may need is some tweaking and additional variation and uniqueness between certain enemy-types or even according to their gang association. The one thing I miss a little is that a, as exmple, a melee enemy doesn't also use the knife throw ability if he can't really get close. Or that a sniper actually uses the sneak pose to increase his aiming accuracy. I mean, seeing a sniper stand on a roof being the perfect taret for my sniper is a bit silly
Snipers on roofs would be silly if it were a war scenario but for me it works as this isn't that. Gangs that occupy places has every reason to be self confident and sniper on roofs can signal that confidence and power to whatever other factions there are. But on higher difficulties, perhaps that behavior could be changed.
Fluid... I hate it when I don't know the proper terminology but for me it's a sum of interconnecting and intersecting elements in game. Character progression system that enables experiencing story and completing challenges that are parts of that story with play style and build player likes. I started noticing this on my second playthrough while I was leveling up Blades to harvest points due bugged Athletics skill progression:
There are these cyberpunk archetypes that I think come from anime and manga side of cyberpunk I'm not that familiar with, cyber samurai and cyber ninja. Those are perfectly valid choices to actually play character like that. Reflexes/Blades are really powerful and makes really good stealth build with Cool/Dagger Dearler even there's inconvenience of going to inventory to equip more knives. Investing more to Reflexes and Cool and then some clothing mods, like Soft Sole that allows silent landing, Zero Drag to further increase movement speed. Katana adds versatility, no forced stealth and with flashbangs or EMP grenades, grenades also allow some crowd control. And player can keep building their character that way, Lynx Paws cyberware for silent running and we got Optical Camo in 1.3.
I don't know what roleplaying really means to different people, I haven't been that interested what something is, it's that is something interesting or not. What is interesting in example:
Let's say that this V, cyberninja or samurai is a woman and she dresses in way that implies that and as she is a mercenary she fits right in with the crowd in the Afterlife. She may ride Akira bike, Kusanagi or car that might be Mizutani Shion and when she gets somewhere where she has a GIG to do, transition to that is seamless. She may crouch, scout the area. There are few Scavs, she tags them, eliminates couple of guards down with knives, hack optics of some remaining enemies or throw a flashbang, take the down with katana. There's one Scav remaining running towards her with Carnage shotgun, she is out of knives but she may throw another grenade, retreat or pull this giant Overture from non-existing back pocket of her ninja pants and right before shooting Scavs head clean off, hear his last words "
That is so fucking unfair!"
If I try to picture all that with bullet sponge enemies, I guess technically it could be possible, with lots of knives and baiting the enemy but it would be really lame compared to what we have now and if game would work like that, why not just stick to guns builds then?
